末次盛冰期以来观光木的潜在地理分布变迁

观光木(Tsoongiodendron odorum)是木兰科的古老残遗物种, 目前正面临严峻的生存威胁, 属于极小种群濒危植物。通过生态位模型(ENM)能够重建观光木地理分布格局的历史变迁, 探究气候变化对该物种分布的影响, 并了解其地理分布与气候需求间的关系, 从而为全球变暖背景下观光木的保护提供理论基础。该文基于96条现代分布记录和8个环境变量, 采用最大熵(MaxEnt)模型模拟观光木在末次盛冰期、全新世中期、现代和未来(2061-2080年, RCP 8.5)的潜在分布区, 利用SDM toolbox分析观光木的地理空间变化, 并综合贡献率、置换重要值和Jackknife检验来评估气候因子的重要性。研究结果表明: (1)观光木的高度适生区在南岭地区, 末次盛冰期时没有大尺度向南退缩, 很可能在山区避难所原地存活; (2)在全新世中期和未来两个增温的气候情境下, 观光木的分布区均表现为缩减, 其中未来分布的减幅更大, 表明气候变暖对观光木的生长有一定的负面影响; (3)总体上看, 观光木各个时期的地理分布范围相对稳定, 说明观光木对气候变化有一定的适应能力, 人为活动或自身繁育问题可能是致濒的重要原因, 并建议对广东和广西群体进行优先保护。     

三种海水生态养殖池塘细菌数量特征及其与环境因子的相关性

为阐明不同生态养殖池塘浮游细菌数量变化规律及其与环境因子间的相关性,以期为多元立体综合养殖模式中的水质安全与生物疾病防控提供科学依据。利用荧光显微镜细菌计数法(Acridine Orange Direct Counting),研究了“参-虾”“蟹-蛏”和“蜇-蛏”三种海水生态养殖池塘的细菌数量特征,使用典范对应分析(Canonical Correspondence Analysis, CCA)探讨细菌数量与环境因子的相互关系。结果表明,“参-虾”“蟹-蛏”和“蜇-蛏”池塘的细菌平均密度分别为(0.49～3.32)×10⁵ cell/mL、(0.52～2.98)×10⁵ cell/mL和(0.47～2.55)×10⁵ cell/mL,细菌数量有明显的时间差异,夏季密度大于春秋季。三种海水生态养殖池塘的水温、溶解氧和pH变化均不明显,且相差不大,而硝态氮均发生显著变化;其中“蟹-蛏”和“蜇-蛏”池塘的硝态氮、亚硝态氮、活性磷、总氮和总磷均高于“参-虾”池塘,透明度、叶绿素a和化学耗氧量则均低于“参-虾”池塘。典范对应分析(C...     

微贮用植物乳杆菌固定化菌剂的制备

乳酸菌与纤维素降解菌因其可防止微贮饲料酸败、增加秸秆饲料的营养价值等优点,在秸秆微贮过程中起重要作用。但由于乳酸菌的繁殖会抑制纤维素降解菌的活性,如何实现微贮过程中两种微生物分时发挥功能是解决上述问题的关键。文中利用固定化技术将乳酸菌制备成含有玉米秸秆粉的固定化菌剂以达到缓释的目的。首先制作固定化空白小球得出复合固定化载体成球的最佳浓度,利用玉米芯吸附植物乳杆菌S1得到复合固定化载体,以对S1的包埋率、成球效果等为指标,通过对比两种固定化方法 (包埋法与包埋-交联法),得到固定化植物乳杆菌S1的最佳条件。研究表明,使用6%PVA+0.4%SA+0.3%CMC-Na进行包埋-交联时成球效果最好,使用1.2%SA+0.5%CMC-Na进行直接包埋时成球效果最好。通过对比5种固定化工艺,将1.2%SA+0.5%CMC-Na和吸附玉米粉组成的固定化载体混合物逐滴滴入4%氯化钙中直接包埋24 h得到的固定化小球其机械强度以及包埋率均优于其他工艺。因此,利用玉米芯吸附-海藻酸钠包埋的方法可以有效提高植物乳杆菌包埋效率,为使用固定化技术制备微贮饲料菌剂奠定基础。     

神经生长因子与冻干异体神经桥接大鼠神经缺损的研究

实验采用冻干处理的异体神经与外源性神经生长因子（ＮＧＦ）结合来桥接大鼠的坐骨神经１．０ｃｍ的缺损。用雄性Ｗｉｓｔａｒ大鼠进行的四组实验结果表明：冻干处理的异体神经可降低其抗原性,但处理后并不损害雪旺氏细胞（ＳＣ）基底膜的完整性,在移植后可能成为轴突再生的通道和支架;外源性ＮＧＦ与冻干神经结合形成的复合体,可为神经的再生提供一个较好的微环境,具有成为理想桥接材料的可能性     

基于最小累积阻力模型的东北地区生态安全格局构建

生态安全格局对于缓解生态保护与经济发展之间的矛盾具有积极意义。以东北地区为研究对象,综合参考《生态保护红线划定技术指南》、《全国生态功能区划》以及东北地区自然资源禀赋和社会经济发展水平,基于水源涵养、防风固沙、生物多样性维持与保护等功能指标和敏感性指标划分生态源地;利用夜间灯光数据修正基本生态阻力面,并运用最小累积阻力模型划分缓冲区、识别生态廊道和生态战略节点,从而构建东北地区生态安全格局。结果表明:东北地区生态源地总面积为6.50×10⁵km²,占全区土地总面积的45.02%,包括18个生态源地,主要分布在大兴安岭、小兴安岭、长白山脉和西部草原的部分区域;划分了高、中、低3个水平缓冲区,关键生态廊道中心线总长11073.52km,生态战略节点29个,在东北地区形成以生态源地为中心的网状空间布局。结果可为保障区域生态系统服务功能和可持续发展政策的制定提供科学参考。     

呼和浩特市周边地下水CPR和DPANN类群的检测及多样性分析

【背景】候选门级辐射类群(candidate phyla radiation, CPR)和DPANN是与绝大多数已知细菌和古菌具有显著差异的独特类群,因发现较晚,人们对其认识还非常有限。已知二者类群庞大、存在广泛,但在不同生境中的多样性研究还较少,生态功能尚属未知。【目的】分析不同地下水中CPR和DPANN的多样性,探讨不同方法对CPR和DPANN检出及富集的影响。【方法】采用0.1μm滤膜收集菌体和宏基因组测序的方法分析呼和浩特市周边4个不同地下水中CPR和DPANN的多样性。比较宏基因组测序与16S rRNA基因扩增子测序对CPR和DPANN检出的影响,以及不同过滤方式和不同滤膜组合对CPR和DPANN富集的作用。【结果】4个地下水样品CPR类群检出33-64个菌门,相对丰度在0.17%-1.67%之间;DPANN检出1-7个菌门,相对丰度在0.00093%-0.07100%之间。对于CPR和DPANN,16SrRNA基因V3-V4区扩增子测序仅检出了纳古菌门(Nanoarchaeota)。1.2μm与0.1μm滤膜组合具有最好的CPR和DPANN富集效果,在及时更换滤膜的过滤方式...     

Rhizobial migration toward roots mediated by FadL-ExoFQP modulation of extracellular long-chain AHLs

Migration from rhizosphere to rhizoplane is a key selecting process in root microbiome assembly, but not fully understood. Rhizobiales members are overrepresented in the core root microbiome of terrestrial plants, and here we report a genome-wide transposon-sequencing of rhizoplane fitness genes of beneficial Sinorhizobium fredii on wild soybean, cultivated soybean, rice, and maize. There were few genes involved in broad-host-range rhizoplane colonization. The fadL mutant lacking a fatty acid transporter exhibited high colonization rates, while mutations in exoFQP (encoding membrane proteins directing exopolysaccharide polymerization and secretion), but not those in exo genes essential for exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, led to severely impaired colonization rates. This variation was not explainable by their rhizosphere and rhizoplane survivability, and associated biofilm and exopolysaccharide production, but consistent with their migration ability toward rhizoplane, and associated surface motility and the mixture of quorum-sensing AHLs (N-acylated-L-homoserine lactones). Genetics and physiology evidences suggested that FadL mediated long-chain AHL uptake while ExoF mediated the secretion of short-chain AHLs which negatively affected long-chain AHL biosynthesis. The fadL and exoF mutants had elevated and depleted extracellular long-chain AHLs, respectively. A synthetic mixture of long-chain AHLs mimicking that of the fadL mutant can improve rhizobial surface motility. When this AHL mixture was spotted into rhizosphere, the migration toward roots and rhizoplane colonization of S. fredii were enhanced in a diffusible way. This work adds novel parts managing extracellular AHLs, which modulate bacterial migration toward rhizoplane. The FadL-ExoFQP system is conserved in Alphaproteobacteria and may shape the “home life” of diverse keystone rhizobacteria.Subject terms: Microbial ecology, Functional genomics, Bacterial genetics     

Sulfated glycosaminoglycans and low-density lipoprotein receptor mediate the cellular entry of Clostridium novyi alpha-toxin

Dear Editor, Clostridium novyi(C.novyi)is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium and opportunistic pathogen causing severe infectious diseases in humans and animal...     

Distinct basolateral amygdala excitatory inputs mediate the somatosensory and aversive-affective components of pain

Pain is a multidimensional perception that includes unpleasant somatosensory and affective experiences; however, the underlying neural circuits that mediate different components of pain remain elusive. Although hyperactivity of basolateral amygdala glutamatergic (BLA^Glu) neurons is required for the somatosensory and emotional processing of pain, the precise excitatory inputs to BLA^Glu neurons and their roles in mediating different aspects of pain are unclear. Here, we identified two discrete glutamatergic neuronal circuits in male mice: a projection from the insular cortex glutamatergic (IC^Glu) to BLA^Glu neurons, which modulates both the somatosensory and affective components of pain, and a projection from the mediodorsal thalamic nucleus (MD^Glu) to BLA^Glu neurons, which modulates only the aversive-affective component of pain. Using whole-cell recording and fiber photometry, we found that neurons within the IC→BLA and MD→BLA pathways were activated in mice upon inflammatory pain induced by injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into their paws. Optical inhibition of the IC^Glu→BLA pathway increased the nociceptive threshold and induced behavioral place preference in CFA mice. In contrast, optical inhibition of the MD^Glu→BLA pathway did not affect the nociceptive threshold but still induced place preference in CFA mice. In normal mice, optical activation of the IC^Glu→BLA pathway decreased the nociceptive threshold and induced place aversion, while optical activation of the MD^Glu→BLA pathway only evoked aversion. Taken together, our results demonstrate that discrete IC^Glu→BLA and MD^Glu→BLA pathways are involved in modulating different components of pain, provide insights into its circuit basis, and better our understanding of pain perception.     

Integration of a multicomponent intervention for hypertension into primary healthcare services in Singapore—A cluster randomized controlled trial

BackgroundDespite availability of clinical practice guidelines for hypertension management, blood pressure (BP) control remains sub-optimal (<30%) even in high-income countries. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a potentially scalable multicomponent intervention integrated into primary care system compared to usual care on BP control.Methods and findingsA cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in 8 government clinics in Singapore. The trial enrolled 916 patients aged ≥40 years with uncontrolled hypertension (systolic BP (SBP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mmHg).Multicomponent intervention consisted of physician training in risk-based treatment of hypertension, subsidized losartan-HCTZ single-pill combination (SPC) medications, nurse training in motivational conversations (MCs), and telephone follow-ups. Usual care (controls) comprised of routine care in the clinics, no MC or telephone follow-ups, and no subsidy on SPCs. The primary outcome was mean SBP at 24 months’ post-baseline. Four clinics (447 patients) were randomized to intervention and 4 (469) to usual care. Patient enrolment commenced in January 2017, and follow-up was during December 2018 to September 2020. Analysis used intention-to-treat principles. The primary outcome was SBP at 24 months. BP at baseline, 12 and 24 months was modeled at the patient level in a likelihood-based, linear mixed model repeated measures analysis with treatment group, follow-up, treatment group × follow-up interaction as fixed effects, and random cluster (clinic) effects.A total of 766 (83.6%) patients completed 2-year follow-up. A total of 63 (14.1%) and 87 (18.6%) patients in intervention and in usual care, respectively, were lost to follow-up. At 24 months, the adjusted mean SBP was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to usual care (−3.3 mmHg; 95% CI: −6.34, −0.32; p = 0.03). The intervention led to higher BP control (odds ratio 1.51; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.09; p = 0.01), lower odds of high (>20%) 10-year cardiovascular risk score (OR 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47, 0.97; p = 0.03), and lower mean log albuminuria (−0.22; 95% CI: −0.41, −0.02; p = 0.03). Mean DBP, mortality rates, and serious adverse events including hospitalizations were not different between groups. The main limitation was no masking in the trial.ConclusionsA multicomponent intervention consisting of physicians trained in risk-based treatment, subsidized SPC medications, nurse-delivered motivational conversation, and telephone follow-ups improved BP control and lowered cardiovascular risk. Wide-scale implementation of a multicomponent intervention such as the one in our trial is likely to reduce hypertension-related morbidity and mortality globally.Trial registrationTrial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT02972619","term_id":"NCT02972619"}}NCT02972619.

Tazeen H Jafar and colleagues present findings from a cluster-randomized controlled trial conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to manage hypertension.